Bananas Help

Well hey there! I suppose it has been a while... Again. Okay, no one is surprised. So here I sit in lovely Rexburg, Idaho about 4 weeks into a new semester. I am back to life. It is probably a miracle or something. I have even declared a major--whoopee! I am studying Family and Consumer Sciences Education, a really awesome title for an even better major. I could not have found something more suited to me to study. It really is a miracle. I spend my days learning interior design, delving into the philosophies of education, and cooking up a storm in the foods lab. It is pretty freaking fantastic. I am also serving as the Relief Society President of my YSA ward (Relief Society is the women's service organization within the LDS Church). It has only been a few weeks but I feel like I have grown insane amounts! Now don't be fooled, this is not just fun and games and baking cookies--this past four weeks have been some of the most difficult I have ever faced, but I am growing. Funny how life and God do that to us. Make us grow. Like when we were kids and got leg cramps because we were just growing like little weeds. Well, I guess now we get life cramps. But half a banana and some prayer always seem to work as well as it used to in the old days. I guess some (or most) of these little life cramps have been brought on by school. It is no secret that school has never been my favorite pass time. Something about sitting still and paying attention... But I am taking a class on the philosophies of education and It has helped me to see school, and myself as a student in a different light. I am learning how to learn. How to develop and how to become. It is so much more than a test score (although my competitive nature makes it about that sometimes). School is about life. It is about knowing and feeling and testing limits. Sometimes it is about just learning how to play the game (still trying to figure that one out without ample sarcasm). I guess what I am saying is that school isn't so bad. Don't tell anyone I said that--I can't afford to lose my tough guy rep. But for reals. I am learning to appreciate where I am now. To not stress too much about tomorrow or yesterday but to just live. Nobody said I was good at it yet, but like I said--I am growing. Just like a pretty little flower. So let yourself grow a little too. Don't be afraid of the life cramps, they are not too bad once they are over. You might be surprised at what you will discover!

Yes, Yes there is a Difference Between Classy Ground Beef and Just the Regular Stuff

Grocery shopping can be a wonderful thing... It is mostly wonderful when your mom is paying for the groceries anyways... This being said, I am a little bit of a food snob and have a tiny bit of a hard time "shopping on a college budget" or whatever my dad calls it. I traipse longingly down the isles of the grocery wishing I could buy six dollar boxes of quinoa and thousands of dollars worth of spices. And who knew fresh vegetables could cost so much money? You can go ahead and forget about baking supplies... Needless to say, I do splurge every once in a while--still not sure what to do with that acorn squash I bought with no fancy ingredients to spice it up--but I mostly try to stick to my "starving student" budget. My pantry shelves stock the essentials but rarely hold a treat. Don't look in the freezer because there is always never ice cream in there. I love to eat and cook and bake and look at and buy food so clearly I have had to set grocery limits for myself... Like I actually follow my own rules, gurl puhlease. i.e. I will never, ever, no matter how poor I ever am, purchase any kind of meat that comes in a plastic tube with those little metal stapely clamps on the ends. Um gross. I have standards. I will also never buy margarine or "buttery spread"... Sorry mom... I can believe it's not butter and believe you me it is NOT butter. Like, I am not a brat or anything, these are just my truest, innermost feelings which I am putting out there for everyone to read and understand. So in true Provo fashion I can just nonchalantly declare that I had better find a rich husband to buy me lots of fancy clothes  groceries. Or something like that.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Let me preface this post by saying that I have never won anything. Like ever. Well I guess that was true until this week when I won 3 gift cards at work. Woot woot. I am not bragging because they were all team contests besides one... Which I am bragging about. That's right, this lady has a perfect attendance record at Deseret Book therefore won a $5 frozen yogurt gift card. Look out world!

Okay that is enough gloating, I realize no one really cares that I show up to work on time... I am a very blessed person and was just excited that I won something for the first time. Like ever. I am also blessed to have a mom who will talk to me on the phone 6 times in one day. I will not tell you that I ditched school today, or that I spent the better part of the morning making spaghetti sauce. I will, however, tell you that I saw it snow for the first time today. And let me just say it was not pretty, or magical, or whatever... It was cold and really wet. Guess everything can't be gravy. What is gravy though is how warm and toasty my toes are inside of my cow socks. I wish that I possessed the technical ability to take a photo of them and put it on here, all blogger like, so you could see how darn stinkin cute they are.

In other news, I saw an amazing concert tonight! The BYU homecoming spectacular featuring singer Brian Stokes Mitchell was simply amazing. There is so much talent at this lovely school and Brian Stokes Mitchell is enough to melt even the coldest heart on this freezing little day. Music is truly a wonderful thing!

And one other thing... I am being serious when I say that every time I am going to bed it sounds like a party is happening right under my window. I don't know why they are not partying before I go to bed but as soon as I tuck myself in, It is like the shindig of the year. I am glad that people can have so much fun! College is a wonderful place!

So anyways, there you have the disjointed wanderings of my lovely little brain. Sweet dreams.